Best Friend Complex
by Silver pup
Summary: One shot — Mikan and Natsume have finally begun to date, but not everyone is too happy about this. Hotaru has a few words for the boy who messes with her dummy.


**Best Friend Complex**

Summary: One-shot – Mikan and Natsume have finally begun to date, but not everyone is too happy about this. Hotaru has a few words for the boy who messes with her dummy.

Pairings: Natsume/Mikan.

Warnings: This story contains some swearing, courtesy of Natsume.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters featured in this story. They all belong to the grand** Tachibana Higuchi**.

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**B**est** F**riend** C**omplex

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"We need to talk."

Twin crimson orbs blinked up lazily at blank violet. "Do we?"

"Yes. We do. _Now_." There was a hidden warning in the last word. One that spoke of the severe pain and mental trauma that would be inflicted upon him should he disobey.

Natsume wasn't impressed.

"If you got something to say then spit it out here," he half-ordered the girl standing at his desk before turning back to his manga.

Only to find said manga snatched right out from under his nose.

"Give it back," he growled, now glaring at the petite genius who stared back apathetically.

"Come with me and I will," Hotaru replied, turning around and marching out of the classroom without a glance back; clearly expecting her order to be obeyed.

Natsume toyed with the idea of not following just to spite the little twit, but the idea of the damage she may inflict on his precious manga stopped him.

After all, the girl was a sadistic fiend who could rival Persona when it came to torture techniques.

So, with an internal groan of annoyance, the teen pulled himself up from his chair and sauntered off after his classmate. He found her waiting outside under a tree far enough away from others not to be overheard. As soon as he stopped in front of her she started speaking.

"You asked out Mikan." It was not a question.

"Yeah, and?"

"And what are your intentions?"

Natsume blinked, not quite sure what she meant. "What do you mean?"

Hotaru stared up at him with a piercing look that was very different from her usual look of disinterest. "Mikan is an idiot who is far too trusting and far too naïve for her own good. If someone tried to use her or trick her into doing something, she would probably go along with them simply because it would never cross her tiny brain that their intentions may be bad."

"And you think I might do that?"

"When it comes to you the potential is always there, regardless if you mean to or not," Hotaru said bluntly.

Natsume had to give her credit for being so brutally honest. Most people were too scared or too blinded to realize that he wasn't always a nice guy. Not that he was evil incarnated or anything like that, but he still had his moments of sheer bastard-ness.

"So what do you want me to do? I'm not breaking up with her just because you're afraid I might hurt her feelings," he commented, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Though it would be an icy day in hell before he ever admitted it, he did care about Mikan. A lot. And now that he finally managed to convince the airhead to be his _girlfriend_ and not just girl-friend, he had no intention of letting _anyone_, whether they be Anti-Alice members or fan girls, to ever come between them.

"No. Though I don't believe you're good enough for her, you do make Mikan happy. Breaking up with her would cause her a lot of pain," Hotaru admitted quietly.

He wondered how much that had cost her to admit that. Knowing that she wasn't enough anymore to make her dummy happy was probably a hurtful blow to Hotaru. Natsume knew that if _he_ had to share Mikan or Ruka with someone else… well, let's just say may god have mercy on that poor bastard's soul.

"I'm not going to ever hurt her. Not if I can help it," he said because he knew that's what she really wanted to hear.

"And you will always protect her from others who _want_ to hurt her, right?" Hotaru pressed.

Natsume snorted. "Do you have to ask?"

Pale lips twitched slightly. "No, I suppose I don't. But you should keep in mind that if you make her cry, even just once, then I will make you pay."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he assured, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He regarded the shorter teen in front of him for a few seconds before shaking his head. "You have a best friend complex, you know that?"

Hotaru didn't even blink. "And you don't?"

Well. She got him there.

"We should get back to class. The moron is probably looking for us," Hotaru said, turning to look in the direction of their classroom.

Against his will his eyes drifted over to the same place and tried to spot a flash of light brown hair. He didn't see it but he knew that if they stood out there for any longer then he probably would.

"Fine. Can I have my manga back now?" he asked, turning back to his classmate.

Hotaru's expression didn't change but her dark violet eyes suddenly shifted into a lighter shade of purple. Seeing that sent alarms ringing off in his head.

"Oh, that. I gave it to that girl who's the president of your fan club on the way here. I'm sure she'd be _more_ than happy to return it to you if you go and ask her," the genius commented lightly like she hadn't just unleashed the hounds of hell on him.

Natsume stared at her in obvious horror. "_Bitch_."

"No. Just a concerned best friend," Hotaru returned with a smirk before making her way back to class where their dummy was waiting for them.

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**E**nd


End file.
